The Thrill of Adventure
by monotonousmuse
Summary: Winter break hits and Max finds himself more bored than he should be, and surprisingly, in need of adventure. When his best friend, Nikki, suggests they take a road trip to see an old friend, Neil, Max thinks this will be the perfect opportunity to relax for the holidays...right?
1. Prologue

Max let out an obnoxiously loud yawn as he rose groggily from his place on the couch. He'd gotten home pretty late last night from one of the biggest parties of the fall semester, his wicked bellyache now beginning to rear its ugly head. Despite it being the first day of winter break, it was turning out to be complete shit- all Max had managed to do was sleep until nearly one o'clock in the afternoon, give himself a hangover and...that's it. Is this what he had to look forward to for the next six weeks?

"Son of a bitch," Max muttered, finally finding the strength to completely sit up straight. He shook his head slightly, attempting (and failing) to keep his head from swimming. He stumbled over to the bathroom, staring at his... _repulsing_ reflection.

His fluffy, dark hair was a complete wreck, gum and other mysterious foods sticking out from it, and his face had been blessed with a crude Sharpie drawing of a dick on his left cheek. Awesome.

Not even thinking twice, Max ripped off all of his clothes, turned on the shower, and did his best to wash away last night's remanences.

A good hour later, Max found himself laying topless on his bed, thumbing through whatever his friends had posted on social media.

"Boring," he passed a picture of one of his college friends at a football game. Next.

"Nobody gives a shit," he rolled his eyes at a picture of another one of his buddies posing next to his girlfriend, and every other picture that followed was just as stupid as the last.

"Ugh, everyone sucks ass," Max huffed impatiently, glaring down at his phone in disappointment. He then came across a picture that Nikki, one of his best friends since their summer days at Camp Campbell, had posted. It was of her posing next to an alligator she'd helped rescue. "Hmm, wonder what Nikki's up to today."

Not hesitating any longer, Max sent his best friend a text.

Max: yo where tf are you

Not even a minute later, his phone chirped as a new message came through.

Nikki: At the dorms

Nikki: I take it you're lonely, wanna hang

Max rolled his eyes, a light chuckle barely managing to escape his lips.

Max: yea sure whatever. will pick you up in 10

Nikki: You got it maxi-pad ;P

Max frowned at the god-forsaken nickname, his signature scowl finding its way onto his face.

Max: fuck off

And with that, Max threw on a tank top and a pair of slides, exhaling calmly as he faced the warm, Florida air. Climbing into his Jeep, he made his way over to UCF to begin what he hoped would be one hell of a day. Who was he kidding; with Nikki, everyday was an adventure.


	2. The Beginning of the Start

It was nearly sunset and Max found himself sprawled out on the beach next to Nikki. They hadn't talked very much, and honestly, both were perfectly okay with this. Not only was the quiet soothing, but it was comforting in a way. Max inhaled the salty, tropical scent of the beach, almost smiling.

Ah, this was the life. Sitting by the beach, the warm sun hitting his back, chilling out with his best friend. All that was missing was-

"Hey, have you spoken to Neil recently?" Nikki asked, breaking the silence between the two. Max looked up at his friend, not failing to notice the ironic timing of her question.

"Yeah, just a couple days ago actually," he replied, turning his head to look back at the ocean. "He's doing fine. Apparently he met up with Harrison of all people and they got together."

"How cute!" Nikki's eyes took on their signature shine. She truly was happy for her friend. Max nodded, a small smirk ghosting his lips at the sight. The green-haired girl fixed her gaze on the blue-green body of water in front of her, face scrunched up as if she were thinking deeply.

"What're you thinking about now, Nikki?" Max asked, not even having to look at her to know she was up to something. Much to his surprise, he was met with silence. Odd. "Nikki?" he asked again, failing to hide his concern.

Once again, she didn't answer, rather, an excitable, contagious grin stretched across her face. "Max," she started. The boy in question cautiously raised an eyebrow as he anxiously waited to hear whatever crazy idea was about to come out of her mouth. "What if we went to visit Neil over the break?"

"You mean like take a plane and just go over there?"

"I mean, we pack up the car and drive there!"

"Drive?! Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

"It'll be great! We'll get to do a whole lot of sightseeing, tour the country a bit, and see Neil all in one shot! It's like killing three birds with one stone!" Nikki mused excitably, completely ignoring Max's mini outburst. Max just stared at her as if she had ten heads.

"But driving? That'll take two whole days! Only a complete, deranged idiot would do that!" Max continued, still in shock at what she'd suggested. Nikki simply shrugged.

"Then I guess we're those deranged idiots!" Without saying anything more, she stood up and began walking towards Max's car. Confused, the raven-haired boy stood up as well.

"Where are you going?" He called out.

"I don't know about you, but I've got a long ass trip to get packed for!" She called back.

Max stood there on the beach, completely dumbfounded. This was ridiculous! There was no way in hell that he was going to drive almost two thousand miles across the country when they could just take a damn plane! He huffed indignantly, running to catch up with his friend before she had a chance to steal his car. Upon reaching her, he patted his pockets frantically in search of his keys.

"Looking for these?" she smirked, holding up Max's red lanyard that his keys were attached to.

"Hmph." he grunted, snatching the keys from her hand and grumpily starting the engine. The ride back to the UCF campus was quiet, save for Max's obnoxiously loud breathing, but Nikki was in high spirits. She knew she was going to convince Max to go with her, even if it killed her! Before she knew it, they'd pulled up in the parking lot.

"You gonna get out?" Max asked, an impatient eyebrow raised. Nikki sat for a moment, pretending to be deep in thought once again.

"Hmm...nah! Let's go get dinner or something. I'm starving!" She said, licking her lips like a hungry wolf. Max's frown deepened as Nikki's smile shined. He let out a heavy breath.

"Fine. Dinner, then it's back to the dorms with you," he put the car in reverse and they reached a shitty little diner within minutes. During that time, the duo talked more than they did at the beach, but neither of them brought up the road trip. Nikki so badly wanted to ask him again to have a change of heart, but she knew that she had to soften him up a bit. After wolfing down their food, Nikki waved the waiter over, a Cheshire grin slowly spreading across her face as Max glared at her. What in the fuck was she up to?

"I'll take the triple brownie blast with extra whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and three cherries on top! And make it fast!" She whispered into the waiter's ear, then looking at Max.

_Sweets always soften Max up! Well, either that or alcohol, but I legally can't buy drinks yet._ She frowned comically, the idea of a wine cooler sounded really good at the moment.

Max's hard glare practically burned through Nikki as he tried to figure out what she was planning. As if on cue, the waiter returned with Nikki's diabetic request, setting it down in front of her. The time was now! She chuckled lowly as she saw Max's blue-green eyes fixate on the dessert hungrily. Bingo. She dug her fork into the concoction, chocolate syrup dripping from the brownies. Max pretended not to notice or care, but deep down, he wanted that sundae. Noticing the struggle in his eyes, Nikki held out the fork towards Max, brownie covering it entirely.

"You want the rest of it, Max?" She tried to keep herself from busting out in laughter as Max's eyes followed the dessert.

"N-no. I know what you're trying to do Nikki, and it's not gonna work," he huffed, forcing himself to look away from Nikki and her scheme. The girl shrugged nonchalantly.

"Alrighty, then. Guess I'll just throw it away then," she opened her mouth to call for the waiter but Max slapped a hand over it.

"Fine! Just give me the fucking dessert!" He snatched the fork out of her hand and slid the plate towards himself, digging in ravenously.

_Perfect._

Once Max finished shoveling the food down, Nikki slid into the chair next to him, tossing an arm around his shoulders. "So, Max?"

"What?"

"How 'bout that road trip we talked about earlier?"

"It's whatever, fine."

Figuring that was more than enough of a "yes" to her, Nikki smirked victoriously, helping the chocolate-drunk Max out of his chair. He groaned, holding his stomach gingerly.

"Ugh, I think I ate too fast. Drive me home, will you?" Nikki playfully rolled her eyes, keeping her arm around Max as she helped him to the car. "Crash my car and you die." Max muttered, half serious, to which Nikki laughed at. "You got it, boss."

That night, Nikki ended up crashing at Max's on the couch. In short, she was happy at the outcome of her little scheme, she'd gotten what she wanted; a road trip with her best friend to go and see her other best friend. Win-win, really. She wouldn't tell Neil that they were coming, she wanted it to be a surprise after all. Instead, she texted Harrison, making him promise not to tell.

Nikki: Harrison, I have a secret for you and ONLY you! Don't you dare tell Neil this or else I'll throw you to my wolves!

Harrison: Ok, damn. What is it?

Nikki: Max and I are planning a little trip to come and visit you guys for a couple weeks. We're on break and need something to do

Harrison: Ok, can't wait to see you both. I'm sure Neil will be happy too. When're you guys coming

Nikki: Give us 3/4 days. We'll see you soon

Nikki smiled, turning her phone off for the night. Tomorrow was a big day, and god damn was she excited.


	3. Cruel and Unusual

Max woke up in his own bed with a pillow covering his head making it hard to breathe. With a groan, he pushed it off of himself and groggily sat up, taking in the sun-kissed room before him. It was a hot mess; clothes littered the floor, an empty chip bag was shoved in the corner, and Red Bull cans occupied whatever free space there was on his dresser. The most curious thing he noticed was the fact that his closet door was opened, his suitcase vanished out of thin air. What the fuck? As if on cue, a loud bang followed by a scrambling noise was heard, and it sounded like it'd come from the living room. Max jumped, gripping the object nearest to him, opening his bedroom door and slowly and quietly making his way towards the living room. Was it a burglar? He didn't have many valuables. An evil ex trying to get revenge? Wait, he didn't have any ex's. Some creep from off the streets? Yeah, that sounded about right...

Nearing the corner right before the living room, Max let out a warrior-like yell before jumping into sight, hoping to scare off whoever or whatever was there. But instead of scared screaming as he'd expected, he heard...laughing? There stood Nikki of all people, holding her stomach as she cackled, pointing at the shaken Max all the while. His face flushed a deep crimson.

"Really, Max? You were gonna hit me with a _broomstick?_"

"IT WAS THE FIRST THING I GRABBED!"

Nikki only laughed harder, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks, much to Max's chagrin. The boy let out a low growl, tossing the broomstick behind him. Meanwhile, Nikki took a few deep breaths, finally able to compose herself.

"Sorry if I woke you up-"

"You did! You scared the shit out of me!" Max cut in.

"-but I'm just packing our bags for our road trip!" she continued, tossing a whole bunch of tools and bandages into her bag. Max frowned, confused.

"Wait, road trip? I never agreed to going!" he shouted. What didn't she understand yesterday? He thought he'd made it _quite_ clear that he didn't want to drive when they could just fly! Nikki turned to face her friend, a smirk stretched across her face.

"Yeah you did," she giggled as Max's scowl deepened. "Remember after the diner yesterday? I asked you if you were down to take the trip and you said: _It's whatever, fine_." she crudely mimicked her friend's voice. "Who knew, all I had to do was give you some chocolate and I'd get my way?" Nikki mused aloud. Max's eye twitched.

"You didn't."

"Oh, I did." Nikki smiled deviously.

Max let out a frustrated groan. He knew there was no changing Nikki's mind now, he'd already agreed, despite him not even remembering doing so. Well fuck, there was no turning back now.

"Fine. Where'd you put my shit?" Nikki pointed to the partially-filled suitcase that laid on the couch. Max narrowed his eyes.

"Wait a second, did you sneak into my room last night and go through my stuff?!"

The girl shrugged, trying to hold back her laughter. "Mayyyyybe. Figured I'd help give you a head start, cuz there was no way you'd just get up and do it all this morning. You were so out cold last night, I had to carry you to your bed!"

Despite himself, Max blushed once again, turning quickly to furiously begin to pack. _Carry me to my bed, puh._ _Whatever._ He was just a little tired was all. He grabbed a few more things, plus the essentials, shoving them into his bag, before zipping it up. Turning back around, he saw Nikki standing by the door all ready to go.

"C'mon, lock up the house, I'll put our stuff in the car! I just have to stop by the dorms real quick if you don't mind?" Max shrugged nonchalantly in response. "Thanks Max!"

A few minutes passed and Nikki had already shoved everything into the car and was waiting impatiently for her friend to come outside. Meanwhile, Max, who had made sure he had everything, finally stepped outside and locked the door to Gwen and David's condo. They'd let Max stay there throughout college and the couple would visit during the winter months from their home in New York. They were "snow birds", as David had called it, and neither of them minded the travel every nine months. Max let out a small sigh. It was nearly time for his adoptive parents to come back down south, and although he'd never admit it out loud, he kind of missed them. Oh well, he'd see them for the holidays-

"MAX! MOVE YOUR ASS!" Nikki beeped the horn numerous times, snapping Max out of his trance. Rolling his eyes for what seemed like the billionth time that day, Max hopped off of the porch and headed towards the car. Opening the driver's side door, he took one last look at the condo, taking a deep breath.

"Remember me Florida, if I don't come back in one piece."

Nearly four hours later, the duo found themselves in Tallahassee, having only stopped twice: once for Nikki to refill her stash of snacks, and once for Max to take a bathroom break. Now that it was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon, they'd began to get hungry, so Max decided they stop at a local Denny's to get some lunch.

"Y'know something, Max?"

The boy in question peered up from his plate full of a short stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. "What?"

"I'm really glad you came on this trip with me," she smiled, Max laughing dryly at the irony of the statement. "I feel like it'll bring us closer as friends, you know?"

Curiously, Max felt his cheeks heat up, his heart giving a strange flutter. Ack, weird. Must be heartburn or whatever. "Y-yeah, right."

Lunch was pretty awkward after that, but Nikki either didn't care or didn't notice, probably the latter. Things were quiet between the two of them, until Nikki spoke up once again. "So, are we gonna drive through the night? Or are you thinking of staying in a hotel?"

Max shrugged his right shoulder. "I'unno," he answered through a mouthful of egg. "I plan on it. It'll get us there quicker." Nikki nodded, taking a rather large bite out of her chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles on top.

"Why don't we take turns driving? I'll sleep while you drive and vice versa," she loudly chugged her orange juice. "Boom, we'll be there by tomorrow evening."

"Ehhh...no."

"What?" the girl asked, slightly taken aback by her friend's sudden hesitation.

"You know how I am about letting other people drive my car, Nik. I've never let anyone other than me drive it!"

"Oh come on, Max. You let me drive it just last night!"

"I- YOU WHAT?!"

"Ah, thats right. _Somebody_ was too "chocolate drunk" to remember last night's events," Nikki stuck her tongue out at her friend playfully. "Matter of fact, you asked me to drive you home because poor wittle Maxi-Pad wasn't feewing good."

"_Nikki_." Max hissed through is teeth, his signature frown displayed across his face. He despised that nickname more than words could describe. All the while, the girl laughed, finding nothing but humor in her friend's annoyance. He stood up, slapping a tip on the table and snatching up his keys in his hand.

"Let's go, we're losing daylight." he said, none too gently. Nikki nodded, chipper as ever, and followed her best friend out of the diner, not forgetting to take a few handfuls of those free mints they leave on the counter on her way out.


	4. Car's Stopped, Mind's-a-Racin'

The duo had been driving for over six hours and were coming up on the next major city. Looking at the GPS, Nikki was practically bouncing out of her seat, face pressed up against the window as they neared their temporary destination.

"Jackson's the city that's coming up! I've always wanted to go to Jackson!" she tossed Max's phone back in the cup holder, not taking her eyes off the city.

Max gave her a strange look, his nose wrinkled. "Why _Jackson_ of all places?"

Nikki shrugged innocently. "Why not?"

Sighing, the boy signaled to get off on the next exit. This trip so far hadn't been _entirely_ unbearable, Nikki proved to be a pretty...entertaining travel companion to say the least. Thankfully, those weird tingly feelings in his chest hadn't returned, but Max had a sinking feeling that they'd be back. When, he did not know.

"Max, Max, look!" with childlike squeal, Nikki grabbed Max by the sleeve and pulled. Momentarily looking away from the road to see what she'd been rambling about, Max frowned, hilariously unamused. "Really, Nikki? You made me take my eyes off the road for a fucking _McDonald's?_"

"For your information _Max_, this McDonald's has a Play Place!" Nikki rubbed her hands together deviously. "I haven't been in one of these babies since I was seven!"

"And that's exactly why we won't be going there. You're twenty years old, Nik!"

"I'm actually twenty years, three hundred and sixty days, seventeen hours, and thirty six seconds old! Thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine-"

"I get it," Max interjected, scoffing. "Anyways, we're eating somewhere else," the boy deadpanned, subconsciously pressing his foot harder against the gas petal. "That place is probably full of bitchy, germy little kids who don't have any respect for themselves or other people."

Nikki stifled a laugh. "Y'know you basically just described us back at Camp Campbell, right?"

Max opened his mouth to retort, but found himself smirking against his will. Although he'd never admit it, she got him there. Shaking his head, Max's hard glare returned. "We're not eating there Nikki, end of story."

"Pleeeeease, Max?" Nikki pouted, her bottom lip quivering as she tried to sway the stubborn boy's final decision. "I'll pay for gas for the entire trip! Both the rest of the way AND back!"

Max shook his head, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the road.

"C'mon, dude! I'll pay for both our dinners! Desserts included!"

"Not gonna happen, Nikki."

The car came to a slow stop at a red light, not giving Nikki much time to convince Max. She took a deep breath. "Alright, Max. You leave me no choice," the girl said in a dangerous tone, Max for whatever reason beginning to feel a little nervous. She turned towards the window for a brief moment, taking a second to compose herself, then swung to face her best friend again, this time with the most convincing puppy dog eyes she'd ever made. The setting sun caught in her pink eyes, giving them almost a little sparkle.

"Uhhh..." the boy's jaw tightened as he began to feel that stupid ass fluttering sensation, feeling as the brick wall he'd put up was beginning to crumble. _Shit. You are NOT giving into this, Maxwell. Not in a million years!_

Seeing that she was starting to get somewhere, Nikki knew that all she needed was to give him one more push. "Please Max, just this once?" she then laid on her back across Max's lap, still pouting up at him. "I promise I'll pay! And I won't scream the lyrics to every single song that plays! Also, I'll-"

Max slapped a hand over Nikki's mouth to keep her from rambling. Yet again, his face was a very light shade of crimson, but it was much less noticeable than the last time at the diner. After what felt like a millennia, the light finally turned green and Max peered down at Nikki, brow raised impatiently. Getting the point, the green-haired girl quickly raised herself off of Max and sat patiently as she counted mentally how long it would take for her friend to crack.

_One Mississippi...Two Mississippi...Thre-_

A long, over-exaggerated sigh suddenly broke out, Nikki doing a mini celebratory dance in head.

Five minutes later, Nikki and Max found themselves at that very same McDonald's that they'd been debating over for the past ten minutes. Nikki didn't even wait for the car to be completely stopped before running into the restaurant, leaving a tired and grumpy Max in the dust. At that moment, Max was really starting to regret going here...

The duo laughed over memories at camp over a dinner of chicken nuggets, fries, and milkshakes. "Remember when we made that makeshift space backdrop for Space Kid? He fell for that hook, line, and sinker!" Nikki cackled through a mouthful of nuggets.

"Yeah, all because that shitty camp was stupid enough to advertise space travel in the first place," Max said with a roll of his eyes. "Wonder how the little freak is doing these days. Or what he's up to for that matter." He mused aloud, taking a sip from his vanilla shake.

"According to David, he's making it pretty big in DC. He's been to space twice, walked on the moon, and is currently trying to find out more info about Mars," she nudged Max's shoulder. "Hey, maybe when we get back from visiting Neil, we should give Space Kid a visit! Although, he'd probably be called Space Man at this point in his life."

Max grimaced at the thought, shaking his head almost immediately. "Hell no, I'm done with traveling for a while now. And even if I wasn't already worn out from everything, I don't think I'd visit him to be honest."

Nikki gave him a puzzled look, to which he sighed. "I was never really close with him anyways, so what's the point?" His friend shrugged in response, swallowing her ginormous mouthful of chicken and fries, washing it down with a sip of Max's shake.

"Hey! Drink your own shake!" He snatched it out of Nikki's reach, who rolled her eyes and huffed indignantly.

"I finished mine, what'd you expect me to do, die of dehydration?!" She exclaimed in an over-exaggerated tone. Max simply shrugged, attempting to hide a rare, oncoming smirk, and stood up soon after. "Well, we should probably hit the road again," he held up his keys on his middle finger. "Your turn to drive, chief."

To his surprise, Nikki pouted and shook her head. "I wanna play in the Play Place!" She pointed towards the empty indoor playground. Max shrugged, rolling his eyes. "Yeah sure, knock yourself out. Just be out in fifte-"

"Come with me Max, it'll be fun! No one's in there, just the two of us like old times!" She bounced up and down excitedly. "Well...minus Neil of course, but you get my point!"

Max found himself stuck. A part of his mind screamed, _hell no!,_ but there was this very small piece of him that kinda wanted to join her. "Okay." He blurted out, nearly biting his tongue after the word came out. Welp, too late now because Nikki had heard him, scooping the poor, confused Max into a bone-crushing hug.

_Ughhhhhh, nice going dickhead. Now I'll be humiliated __**and**__held up from getting to California earlier._

"Tag! I'll race ya to the top of the slide!" Nikki roughly tagged Max on the shoulder. The boy watched the energetic girl practically disappear into thin air as she scrambled up the jungle gym. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all...

Narrowing his eyes playfully, Max darted off close on his friend's tail, making it up to the top with much less precision and grace than Nikki. "Gotcha! Now you're trapped!" His lengthy arms blocked the length of the slide, a rare ghost of a smirk shown on his lips.

"We'll see about that!" Nikki suddenly tackled Max as if they were playing a football game, both of them tumbling down the slide rather uncomfortably. Fifteen seconds later they'd reached the bottom, Max somehow ending up on top of his friend. He quickly sat up, clearing his throat awkwardly. Nikki on the other hand, was laughing uncontrollably, even snorting a few times here and there.

"That was freaking _awesome!_ Let's do it again!" She squealed, nearly flinging Max off of her to zoom off to the top of the jungle gym once again. He watched her climb the various nets and walls like a cat, secretly envying her ability. Without wasting another second Max followed his friend, determined to not let her win this time.

Nearly an hour later, Max and Nikki were kicked out of the Play Place and had instead taken to sitting on the hood of Max's Jeep. They both had a little case of the giggles, not caring at that moment how stupid they probably sounded to others.

"You're the best, Max," she said genuinely as she began to calm down a bit. "We should hang out like this more often." Much to her surprise, Max gave a small smirk, a sense of sincerity behind the gesture. He threw a punch into her shoulder.

"Yeah, we should."

A comfortable silence hovered over the duo as they watched the city lights flicker vibrantly as the dark Mississippi sky came to life. Max let out a quiet breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Tonight had been...nice. The last thing he expected was to bond with Nikki over a _McDonalds Play Place_ of all things, but it felt good nonetheless. A little flutter echoed through his chest, Max subconsciously gripping his sweatshirt tightly as if he were trying to stop it. Was he, the amazing, super cool, and badass Maxwell, truly going soft? He carefully peered over towards Nikki, her energetic smile bringing those cursed feelings back. Shaking his head, he dug around his pocket for his, only to find that the now-smirking Nikki was holding his keys. "Lookin' for these, boss?"

Max flipped her the finger, sliding off of the hood and opening the passengers side door. "Let's go, Lard Ass!" He beeped the horn, earning a deathlike glare from his friend. After a couple more seconds, Nikki climbed into the drivers seat and started the engine. Plugging the discarded aux cord into her phone, she briefly thumbed through her playlist until finding one that she knew the both of them would like.

"Cupcakke, Nikki? Really?"

Shrugging innocently, she turned up the volume. "Yup!"

Max rolled his eyes, picking up the GPS to see how much further they had. "Thirty hours left, Nik. The next big city is Dallas, should be there by one in the morning."

Nodding as she smiled, Nikki turned onto Interstate 10 and the friends resumed their journey, leaving the beautiful Mississippi state behind.


	5. One More Step Till Paradise

"In four miles exit right, then your destination will be on your left." Smiling, Nikki signaled to get into the right lane as she prepared to exit to Dallas for a late night snack. Max had fallen asleep long ago and was dead to the world, his earbuds still blaring music loud enough that Nikki could hear it faintly. Her time with Max had been great and truthfully, there was no one else she'd rather spend it with...well, besides Neil maybe. The duo had no doubt grown closer, and Nikki had even begun to feel different about her friend. The feeling wasn't _bad_ perse, it just made her wonder, y'know? Why did she feel like creepy crawlers were scattering around in her belly? Why did she sometimes get the urge to bite Max? She only ever did that to stake her territory, and last time she checked, Max was _not_ her territory!

"Exit right, then your destination will be on your left." The GPS so rudely interrupted the driver's confusing thoughts. Not giving the topic anymore attention, Nikki turned into a Burger King drive through to order something to feast on. Those weird thoughts were probably her being delusional- after all, she hadn't eaten in nearly six entire hours. She drove up to the window, ordered herself and Max food for when he woke up, and parked the car in the parking lot. Gazing up at the dazzling city lights, the excitement for their arrival to California only increased: they were so close! According to the GPS, they should be there in twenty six hours, but that's if they were to keep on driving straight. Nikki certainly did love a good adventure- really, she did- but she was getting tired of sitting in the car for hours on end. She looked back towards the beautiful city of Dallas, then back at the sleeping Max. Surely, he wouldn't mind if they spent a few hours in Dallas tomorrow, right? Smiling to herself, Nikki crawled into the back seat and curled into herself like a sleepy wolf, passing out right there.

Golden drops of sunlight spilled into the passenger's side of the car, causing Max to squeeze his eyes tighter against the dreaded light. He groggily opened his eyes as he slowly took in his surroundings. He was still in his car, Nikki curiosity balled up in the back, and an unknown cityscape right in front of him. Did they make it to Oakland already? Puzzled beyond explanation, Max snatched Nikki's phone out of the cup holder, unlocking it and checking their location.

"Dallas? Why the hell are we _still_ in Dallas?!" Max groaned. They were supposed to be in New Mexico already! He suddenly heard some shifting behind him and an obnoxious yawn.

"Morning Max! Sleep well?" The boy only scowled at Nikki, causing her to laugh awkwardly. "Got you some food last night. I got hungry so I had to stop." She held up a paper bag that contained a burger, fries, and a vanilla milkshake. At the sight of the food, Max's glare seemed to soften, but he still said nothing. He simply took out the burger and began eating it, now turning away from Nikki.

"So uhm...I was thinking," she started, carefully thinking of how she wanted to approach the grumpy and irritable Max. "How about after you finish your food, we find a place to get breakfast..." she trailed off, looking for any signs of anger on her travel companion.

He sighed impatiently. "Where are you going with this, Nikki?"

"Why don't we spend a little time touring the city? Y'know, sightseeing, getting lost, questioning people's life choices!" Max looked up at his best friend incredulously. He opened his mouth to answer, but Nikki cut him off. "Come on, Max! Aren't you sick of sitting in that car for so many hours? My butt hurts just thinking about it!"

"Nikki-"

"Please, Max? We'll be out by lunchtime and back on the road again, I promise! We can make it to Neil's by Thursday and it's only Tuesday!" Max wore a torn expression on his face. As much as he hated to admit it, she did have a point, and deep down, he was also kind of tired of sitting in the car for so long. He looked at the city in front of them in all of its glory- Dallas certainly did have a charm to it that peaked Max's curiosity.

"Okay, _fine_. Breakfast, then lunch, then we're out by one. Got it?" Instead of answering, Nikki brought Max into yet another bone-crushing hug, this one lasting slightly longer than the last.

"Deal!"

Nikki's stomach let out a loud growl as she and Max exited the Zero Gravity amusement park, laughing as they recalled their mini adventure. Max shot an almost-smirk towards his friend.

"Hungry?"

"Always!" Nikki answered, slinging an arm around Max's shoulders. "That park was badass! I wanna do it again and again!" She chirped, still feeling the rush from the insane Skycoaster, amongst many other rides they'd gone on.

"Yeah, it wasn't a total blow as I'd thought at first," Max mused, digging in his pocket to get his phone to check the time. "Holy _shit!_" Nikki snapped her head around quickly in surprise. "It's fucking seven o'clock at night! How did we let _this much_ time get away from us?!"

"You know what they say, Max. Time flies when you're having fun!" Giving a weak sigh, the boy slipped his phone back into his pocket and fished out his keys.

"Okay, okay. We can stop for a little bite at a diner or something, then be on our way," he unlocked his Jeep, sliding into the front seat. "But no more side-stops, we're losing too much time. Christmas will be here before we know it and we've already got plans." Nikki nodded, flashing her friend an enthusiastic thumbs-up as she buckled her seat belt. Off they went to the nearest food joint, which just so happened to be a Subway, and they were back on the road in twenty minutes, and they drove.

And drove.

And drove.

And _drove_...

Until an exit sign for Albuquerque caught Max's tired eye. Surprised, he briefly glanced at the GPS, which said they'd been driving for nine and a half hours, minus the handful of breaks they'd taken in between. "Damn. At this rate, we'll get there by eight tonight. Not bad, Max, not bad." He complimented himself, popping a stick of mint gum into his mouth and zooming past the exit to Albuquerque. It was a little after five o'clock in the morning and the sun was just beginning to kiss the horizon. Barely any cars were on the road, not that Max was complaining whatsoever. He hated people; the fewer assholes on the road, the better.

Noticing that it had been incredibly quiet, Max peaked over to the passenger's seat where Nikki sat sleeping, snoring loudly and arms wrapped around her shivering form. A brief feeling of pity swam through Max's stoic head and he huffed, indignant. Unzipping his beloved sweatshirt, he gently placed it over his friend, Nikki's shivering almost instantly stopping. "You're lucky I don't _entirely_ hate you, you troll." Max scoffed, smiling gently at her. Why she had this effect on him, he did not know, but Max tried not to think about it too much. He didn't love people, and people didn't love him...besides David and maybe Gwen, of course, but they were _different_. They provided him with parental love which, yeah, was pretty great. Max was more concerned with romantic love; he was already twenty one years old, yet he'd never been able to hold a stable relationship because he was "too mean". What the fuck was that supposed to mean anyways? Most people his age were either in a long-term relationship, or hell, some were even _engaged_. He thought about Neil and Harrison. The two had been together since they were eighteen, so almost five years. Max knew that Neil had been wanting to "pop the question" for a while now, especially since they'd planned to buy a house together after they received their master's degrees. Where did he go wrong? And since when the hell did Neil managed to beat him to something like this? Max was supposed to be the suave one, the hearthrob, the one who gets all the ladies, the first one of the trio to get married! But here he was, miserable and lonely, having to watch as one of his best friends prepare to ride off happily into the sunset with his new love. Max sighed, frustrated and angry at himself. He knew it was wrong to be mad at Neil for having his shit together while Max lagged behind, but it just wasn't _fair_.

And then there was Nikki, the feisty, energetic, adventurous spirit who sat beside him on this long ass journey. She was single as well, but it didn't seem to bother her, nor did she seem to want a relationship. Nikki was one who valued her freedom, most likely not wanting to be tied down by commitment or love or anything like that. And of fucking course, there was a small part of him that wondered if, one, if Nikki wanted a relationship, and two, what would happen if he and Nikki decided to date just because they were both single and wanted to try something new. Wait, was that what Max actually wanted? A romantic relationship with the crazy, rabid, nutty, insane Nikki? As if on cue, Nikki stretched and yawned, her back popping as she did so. She turned to look at Max, one eye closed, the other half-opened, her already untamed hair somehow even more tangled. "How long was I out? What year is it?"

Max let out an airy chuckle, rolling his eyes playfully. "You were only asleep for nine hours. We reached New Mexico by the way," he answered as they passed another exit sign. "Wanna stop to get something to eat?" The green-haired girl nodded excitedly, instantly perking up and looking much more alive. Max averted his eyes and held back a smile at the sight.

_Holy fucking shit._ He thought, taking a sudden deep breath. _I do have a stupid crush on her!_ He grimaced.

"Yoo-hoo! Max? You good?" The boy quickly snapped out of his thoughts, a faint blush creeping across his cheeks.

"_Yes_ Nikki, I'm fine," Max said in a biting tone, Nikki wincing at his sudden shift in moods. "Let's just keep going."

Neither of them saying much of anything else, the rest of the ride to the local gas station was quiet, awkward even, for the first time that trip. Admittedly, neither of them particularly enjoyed the silence, but neither questioned it. It was just a little misunderstanding, right?

Their time in New Mexico was short-lived, and their time in Arizona even shorter, sans the one hour-long stop they'd made to stretch their legs before making the last leg of the trip. The GPS said they were in Frazier Park, around four and a half hours away from where Neil lived. Figuring that it was time to give Harrison an update, Nikki whipped out her phone and shot Harrison a text.

Nikki: 4 hours away!

Nikki: Well, 4 and a half, but still!

Harrison: Most wonderful news! I'll get stuff prepared for you. And before you ask, no, Neil doesn't know still

Nikki: Wow I'm impressed, figured you would've given away the secret by now

Smiling, Nikki placed her phone in her pocket, taking back to staring out of her window. Max still wasn't saying much, why, she did not understand. Did she do or say anything wrong? All she did was ask if he was okay! Carefully, she took a little peak at Max, a conflicted, tired look in his eyes.

"Hey Max?"

"Hmm?"

"Did I do something wrong to make you ignore me?" Nikki blurted out, momentarily embarrassed for letting her emotions briefly take over. Max was taken aback as well at first, but sighed, understanding her outburst.

"I'm sorry, Nik," he muttered, not taking his off of the road out of shame. "I've just been…" he trailed off, certainly not wanting to tell her the real reason of his rudeness. Not anytime soon, at least. "...really sick of traveling and all that shit. I don't do well in long car rides." He fibbed. Nikki, clearly not taking it as such, instantly softened and gave her friend a playful punch in the shoulder.

"Why didn't you just say so? I totally get it! We've been stuck in this piece of junk for like, two days! I think anybody would get a little stir-crazy after that long."

Max nodded, not saying anything and ignoring that Nikki had just called his car a "piece of junk". He wished he had the guts to tell her the truth, but he knew it would only put a strain on their friendship, regardless of how strong it was.

Reality sucked.

Feelings sucked.

Why couldn't he just be a normal person and _not_ have a crush on his best friend?

Harrison peered out anxiously from between the blinds, waiting impatiently for the arrival of Max and Nikki. It was just past nine o'clock at night, and ever since Nikki had texted Harrison to expect them later that day, the poor illusionist hadn't been able to sit still. He'd managed to get the guest room set up, which was incredibly easy, but he could tell Neil was beginning to get suspicious.

"Harrison?"

Harrison nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden sound of his boyfriend's voice. "Wha- uhh, hey Neil! Nothing suspicious going on here!" Harrison laughed awkwardly, his forehead sweating profusely. Neil raised an eyebrow, smirking at the smaller male. "You sure about that, bunny?"

Harrison blushed at the nickname, pouting at Neil childishly. "Y-yes, I'm sure," he awkwardly cleared his throat. "Anyways, you should go and work on your sciency-shit for a little, I have...stuff I need to do." Neil's flirty smirk faded into a look of confusion, and maybe, a hint of hurt.

"Huh? But I'm off tonight, I thought maybe we could hang out," the scientist suggested, scuffing his shoe across the floor nervously. "It's finally break, after all."

Harrison opened his mouth to answer, but the flash of a pair of headlights caught his eye, gasping excitedly. "They're here!"

Neil looked at his boyfriend, puzzled. "Wait, who's here?"

"Come outside and see for yourself!"


	6. Discoveries

Confused as ever, Neil stepped out onto his porch, his hand on Harrison's shoulder. He watched as an electric blue convertible Jeep entered his driveway, its headlights blinding the two boys outside. Neil cocked his head to the side innocently.

"Who's that? Did you invite more of your magician friends over?" He asked flatly, truthfully not in the mood to deal with guests right now. Harrison shook his head as the passenger side door opened, a short, puffy-haired girl jumping out.

"NEIL!"

Barely having time to react, Nikki tackled Neil into the tightest hug of his entire life. This was it, this is how he was going to die-

"Nikki, let him go, you're gonna kill him and we've only been here thirty seconds," Max rolled his eyes, practically peeling Nikki off of their best friend. The scientist was still in a daze, but now that he could breathe again, he finally realized who Harrison's late-night guests were.

"Holy shit, Max and Nikki! I never thought I'd see you guys again!" He enveloped both travelers into a hug, which both of them gladly returned. "Tell me about your trip!" He added, ushering the two inside.

Once on the brown leather couch, hot coffees in hand, Max and Nikki filled Harrison and Neil in on everything. "It took us nearly two days to drive ov-"

"You_ drove?!_" Neil cut in, nearly spitting out his coffee in surprise.

"Yeah, all Nikki's idea," Max gave her a playful shove, Nikki shooting him a glare and laughing in response. Their eye contact lingered for a moment too long, and this was not lost on Neil. "I was against it at first, but it wasn't as hellish as I'd originally thought." He finished.

"Hmm," Neil hummed, glancing between his best friends slyly. This was going to be fun. "So, are you guys staying here or going to a hotel? We've got one extra room here, so you can either fight over it or share if you're into that." He teased, quickly ducking his head to narrowly dodge a pillow that Max had launched at him. Nikki laughed, painfully oblivious to what Neil had suggested. Shaking his head, Max stood up from his place on the couch, gathering up his belongings before turning to look at Nikki. He was tired, and definitely was _not_ in the mood for Neil's bullshit right now.

"What'll it be, Nik, couch or guest room?" He asked in a slightly edgy tone.

"Aww come on, Max!" Neil placed a hand on his friend's shoulder in an attempt to turn him around. "I was only messing around-"

"Not now, Neil. I'm tired, let me go to bed."

Not giving Neil a chance to respond, Max disappeared into the guest room, the door slamming shut behind him forcefully. Nikki, Neil, and Harrison now stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room, looking between each other with obvious discomfort on their faces.

Harrison cleared his throat. "Max is right, we should get to bed. You especially have had a long day, Nikki." He offered a small smile.

"Okay." She said simply, plopping down on the couch and fluffing a nearby pillow. Oddly enough, she wasn't tired yet and really wanted to catch up with Neil. She didn't know what Max had gotten all huffy about before, nor did she care to know to be honest. He was worked up for no reason.

Nikki laid on the couch awake for what felt like hours, still sour at Max's little outburst. She scrolled aimlessly on her phone before the sudden sound of gentle footsteps caused her to bolt up, startled. Using her phone's flashlight, she shined it in the direction of the sound, a taller, lankier figure with puffy hair wincing at the harsh lighting.

"Oww, what the hell, Nikki?" Neil rubbed his eyes gingerly as he stumbled into the living room. Nikki's confused expression immediately changed into one of excitement.

"Sorry! What're you doing up so late?"

"Couldn't sleep," Neil shrugged one shoulder, making his way towards the refrigerator and pulling out a couple of pizza slices wrapped in tin foil. "Pizza?"

The girl nodded her head and licked her chops hungrily at the sight of the pizza. The two sat at the tiny, round table in the corner of the kitchen as they ate their pizzas, Nikki's loud, cow-like chewing making Neil slightly uncomfortable.

"So, what've you guys been up to over the years? I haven't seen you or Max since the prom, and even _that_ feels like a century ago," he mused aloud, taking a small nibble out of his slice. "I hear Max finally bit the bullet and decided to become a dance major?"

Nikki nodded, giggling. "Yup! He was so in denial for the longest time, but it wasn't until the professor herself caught him dancing and saw his "natural talent" and convinced him to at least join the tap dance club! Of course he blew everyone away, and even admitted that he enjoyed it to some extent! He switched majors and has been there ever since!"

"See, I knew he was gonna be a dancer, especially after his little stunt back on Spooky Island. I'm glad he finally embraced it," Neil briefly got up to pour himself and Nikki a glass of hard lemonade. "What about you though? Still into nature and adventure?"

"Of course! I'm studying nature conservation, sounds a little nerdy but it's pretty cool actually. I get to spend time outside, meet new animals, and explore different parts of the swamp! Who knew how fun school could actually get?" She took a long sip of her drink, then gestured towards Neil. "You're still into that geeky stuff, right?"

Neil playfully rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Yes Nikki, I'm still into science. I've been toying around with new potions and serums lately just for fun, similar to what I was doing at Camp." Nikki nodded and continued to drink from her now half-empty glass. Both herself and her friends had changed, yet somehow, they were still the same, chaotic kids they'd been all those years ago. Nikki sincerely missed those times, but now that the trio was finally back together, they could have even more adventures together!

Smiling to herself, Nikki finished off her lemonade, forcefully slamming down her cup and belching loudly, causing Neil to grimace. Noticing that it had gone silent once again, save for Nikki's burp, Neil began to speak once again. "Isn't your birthday coming up?" He asked, barely managing to stave off a yawn.

"Yeah, this queen's gonna turn twenty-one in…" she whipped out her phone and went on her calendar for a small second. "Two days, twenty three hours, and thirty seconds! You better be taking me out to a bar or something, I plan on getting drink-until-I-throw-up hammered!" As someone whose barely survived a hangover himself, Neil shook his head, and stared off into the distance. Clearly, he must've…experienced some stuff.

"Oh Nikki, a hangover is one thing you don't ever want to experience. _Ever_." He shuddered, a chill running down his spine. Of course, Nikki simply rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Whatever, you're just saying that because you don't want me to win," she teased, puffing out her chest. "I'll bet you twenty bucks and a free breakfast from the best place in town that I can out-drink you."

Visible fear flashed across Neil's face; both he and Nikki knew that she'd win. There's no way in hell he'd ever-

"You're on." A third voice interjected, causing Neil to practically jump out of his skin, and Nikki to turn quickly in surprise. Max stood in the doorway, an eyebrow cocked and a challenging smirk on his face. Nikki smiled deviously back ready to say something, when Neil cut her off.

"Well, well, look who it is. Finally decided to come and join us, hmm?"

Max's smirk instantly fell from his face, his signature scowl taking its place. "The fuck's that supposed to mean?" The shorter male quickly stepped up and got in his friend's face, eyes narrowing. Sensing a fight was brewing, Nikki quickly pushed her friends apart with surprising strength. She turned towards Neil first, pouting as if she were about to scold a child.

"Neil, don't make Max feel bad, even if he kind of deserves it! And Max," she turned towards the black-haired boy, flicking him in the nose. "Don't try and pick fights! We're here to hang out, not be jerks to each other."

Both boys rolled their eyes at one another, widening the space between them so as to not get Nikki mad. She was ultimately right of course, vacation was definitely not the time for petty little fights. Speaking of being petty, Max exhaled loudly, finally meeting Neil's eyes.

"Sorry about before, I shouldn't have acted like that. It was kinda kiddish of me." Max admitted, awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck. Neil nodded, giving a small smile.

"It's okay, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have teased you like that." The two shared a one-arm hug which was interrupted by Nikki, who came between them and pulled both into a tight hug of her own.

"Good job, guys! By the way Neil, what were you teasing Max about anyways?"

Max's face flushed red and he squawked awkwardly like a distressed pigeon, while Neil only laughed. "You'll see one day Nik, you'll see."

Morning arrived way quicker than it should have, the trio having barely gotten half of the recommended hours of sleep. Harrison on the other hand, was rather chipper and giddy for eight thirty in the morning.

"Rise 'n shine, Neil!" The illusionist bent down and gave Neil a kiss on the cheek, earning a tired, grumpy groan in response. Chuckling, Harrison ripped the covers off to reveal a topless, groggy Neil curled up in a ball. "Get up, we're going out today!"

"Going where?" Neil asked in a raspy voice.

"Oakland. I figured we should give our guests a special tour of the area, maybe show them the college and stuff," Harrison answered. "We can even grab lunch at Hopscotch if you'd like."

Sighing, Neil sat up and stretched, his back popping. "Yeah, that sounds good." He climbed out of bed and was fully ready in a solid twenty minutes, but he was mentally still asleep. By that time, Harrison had already woken up Nikki, who almost bit him, and Max, who called him some choice words. An hour later, the group was out of the house and had arrived in Oakland, where they did some sightseeing. First stop was Berkeley University, Neil and Harrison's college. The campus was on the larger side, so there was a lot for Max and Nikki to see. Next, they headed to a local garden where they strolled around aimlessly, chatting idly about various subjects, from reminiscing about Camp, to how much they loved (or hated, in Max's case) high school. By the time they'd made multiple loops around the garden it was already lunchtime, so Hopscotch ended up being their final stop. The group's laughter and jokes continued, only dying down once the food arrived, then it grew quiet within the quartet of hungry college students.

"Wow, this food is _amazing!_" Nikki spoke through a huge mouthful of roast beef sandwich.

Max, who was sitting to her right, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, a hell of a lot better than the fast food we've been munching on for the past three days."

"But had we not stopped at that McDonalds in Jackson, then we wouldn't have gotten to wrestle in the Play Place!" Nikki retorted back, catching Max completely off-guard. He instantly looked down to avoid making eye-contact with neither Neil or Harrison, but felt his face heat up as the feeling of curious eyes fell on him. Neil smirked, sitting up straighter in his seat.

"Wrestling, huh?" He raised a brow, looking in between a happy, oblivious Nikki and an embarrassed Max. The girl nodded her head quickly, her smile growing.

"Yeah! I convinced Max to run around in there with me for a little, but it somehow ended in me tackling him down a slide," she put a finger to her chin thoughtfully, her face scrunching up in concentration. "I still can't figure out how that happened."

All the couple could do was smile, giving each other a knowing look. Neil so badly wanted to intervene and give his dear friends a little push, but how? Max was way too smart and would figure out his plan immediately, Nikki was much easier to get around. He sat quiet for a moment as he tried to brainstorm the best and most efficient way possible to get them together, which he knew wasn't going to be easy. In the few minutes Neil took to think, Harrison had already struck up a new conversation about magic of all things, to which Nikki went along with admiringly. The scientist picked up his drink to take a sip, when suddenly he spit some out, disgusted. Pissed off that his train of thought had been interrupted, he looked up to see Max stifling a laugh, Nikki not even bothering to hold back her laughter, and Harrison giggling into his napkin.

"Swapped your water with vodka!" Max wheezed in between laughs. "Payback time, Neil!"

Rolling his eyes and frowning, Neil cleaned up the spilled vodka, not saying anything in return. As much as he hated to admit it, the prank itself was pretty smart, he couldn't even tell the difference between his water and Max's vodka; he'd tricked him.

_Ding!_

"That's it!" Neil suddenly yelled with a smile. It was that simple! All he'd have to do is make a "love serum", give it a familiar color, and bingo, he'd make Max and Nikki drink it simultaneously! Finally snapping out of his little moment, he looked up to see three pairs of confused eyes on him. Neil smiled bashfully and shoveled some food down his throat in a poor attempt to ignore the awkwardness.

The rest of lunch went pretty smooth, nothing particularly exciting happening, but Neil now took mental notes of how his best friends were acting around each other. The way Max would almost smile at Nikki whenever she spoke to or about him, or how his face seemed to flush whenever Nikki accidentally brushed arms with him, and the way Nikki's eyes lit up when Max said basically anything. He knew there were suppressed feelings between them, after all, it's how himself and Harrison acted towards each other in the beginning...except there was a lot more tension between them. As soon as he got home, Neil had decided, he would get to work right away on his latest, and possibly greatest, serum yet! What could go wrong?


	7. The Truth

Max woke up the next morning with a rather strange feeling: something interesting was going to happen today. What this "something" was, he was clueless, but there was this odd sense of anticipation licking his gut, he hadn't recalled feeling this way since camp…

A sudden pounding on the door startled Max, making him jump slightly. "MAX WAKE UP!" a raspy, tomboyish voice called out, impatient. Definitely Nikki. "Neil's making breakfast, we're all waiting on you!" She continued to pound on the door, this time more rapidly. The noise quickly got under Max's skin and he swiftly got up to open it. He glared comically at the girl who bounced up and down energetically, and for a quick, mere moment, Nikki found herself lost in his piercing green eyes. She'd always loved Max's eyes, they were her favorite color after all! Not to mention, they stood out from his black hair and made him look so _fierce_ and...what's the word was she looking for? Pretty? Awesome? No, _gorgeous_ was more like it-

_No, BAD__ Nikki! Those are weird thoughts!_ She inwardly scolded herself. Shaking her head, she grabbed Max by the hand and dragged him towards the kitchen, his feet barely touching the ground once. "Found Max!"

"Perfect!" Neil quickly spun around from the drink he was mixing to face his friends. He almost looked as if he were hiding something, at least that's what Max thought anyways. Subtly, he peered behind Neil to see some strange, yet oddly inviting, drink that looked similar in texture to a smoothie, yet it was colored a very vibrant, reddish-pink hue.

"What type of shit you got there?" Max cocked an eyebrow and nodded his head in the direction of the questionable drink. Visibly tensing up, Neil grabbed two already-poured cups of the concoction and handed them to Nikki and Max.

"This is what I like to call a holiday smoothie!" he tried, smiling widely as little beads of sweat formed on his head. Nikki took hers eagerly, while Max just stared with a mixture of confusion and disgust.

"What's in it?"

There it was, the dreaded question. Luckily, Neil had been prepared for it! "Er...well, it's got apples, and cinnamon, and...other red things!" He said the last part quickly.

_Just drink the fucking smoothie, Max._ Neil said in his head.

"Mmm, red things!" Nikki chirped as she lifted the glass to her lips-

"WAIT!" Neil squeaked, putting a hand around Nikki's glass. He felt Max's hard gaze burning into him, his anxiety now spiking through the roof. "I want you guys to try it together just so I can see both of your reactions!" Neil shoved the glass into Max's hand and eagerly waited for his friends to take a sip, or drink the whole damn glass, whichever.

"Whatever," Max shrugged, looking at Nikki and nodding. "One...two...three!"

Neil's victims gulped down a large sip of their love serum-injected smoothies, taking that moment to turn around to avoid eye contact with either one of them. He suddenly heard both glasses fall to the floor, and then silence for a moment...Shit, did he kill them? "Max? Nikki?"

"You're _beautiful._"

Neil turned around to see his best friends staring at each other, their eyes sparkling, pupils dilated, blushes shone brightly across both of their faces. Success, it had worked! Now he got to sit back and watch this whole show manifest. God this should be fucking amazing.

Only an hour had passed by, and Max and Nikki hadn't stopped staring at each other. They were calling each other cheesy pet names, giving kisses and caresses, and Max had even written an entire five pages as to why he loved Nikki, in great detail too. Neil had long decided that he'd seen enough after the first five minutes, but little did he know that this was only the beginning.

"Nikki, I don't think I've been saying this enough, but I love you," Max gushed, planting a kiss to her temple. "More than anything and everything. And I normally hate everything!"

"Aww, I love you too, Max, more than I love getting lost in the woods!" The two embraced tightly and no sooner were they back to kissing and cuddling. "I'm hungry, let's go out and get food together, as a _couple_." Nikki batted her eyelashes and gave Max his one thousandth kiss since they'd drank the serum. Max, who was entirely whipped, nodded his head quickly and led his best-friend-turned-lover to his car and they took off.

Minutes later, after nearly crashing five times because Max couldn't keep his eyes on the road, they arrived at a McDonalds where they shared a large vanilla milkshake while looking deeply into each other's eyes. Many of the passerby's grimaced, some even made snide remarks loud enough for the pair to hear, but they truly didn't care at that moment. They had each other and that's all that mattered.

"This place sure holds some good memories," Max said in an airy tone, pulling Nikki closer to him. She gave him a puzzled look, cocking her head to the side.

"Like what?"

He chuckled. "Well, I think in Jackson is when I finally realized that I loved you. What I'd felt for you, and still do of course, was much more than a stupid crush, I was _in love_. I honestly didn't think I was capable of loving someone other than myself, but you changed that. And for that my love, I sincerely thank you with my entire being," Max finished off his speech with a sweet kiss, which Nikki returned eagerly. "We're gonna be together forever, we can get married, have sweet kids, and- oh! How many kids you want?"

Nikki paused, thinking for a moment. She'd never really given thought to the idea of kids, but now that she had someone to share that with, she should get thinking! "Anywhere between one and eleven. Like a part of me wants an entire wolf pack's worth of babies, but another part of me wants one little baby just to spoil!"

Max's eyes shimmered with adoration. "I'll have as many as you want! Whatever makes the love of my life happy!"

"You're such a sweet prince, Max," Nikki cooed, taking that moment to dive in for yet another kiss. "I'm so happy we're together!"

The two sat there for what felt like hours, but they wouldn't want it any other way. They felt at peace with one another, as if the rest of the world didn't matter…

"What do you mean _gone?_" Harrison yelled incredulously as Neil paced anxiously in front of him. It had been nearly three hours since Max and Nikki had left to god knows where, and Neil had begun to worry since neither were answering their phones.

"I-I don't know! They were on the couch before, now I look outside and Max's car is gone along with them!" He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. "I knew that love serum was a bad idea." He muttered.

Harrison quickly turned to glare at Neil. "_Love serum?_ What the hell, Neil?! I thought I told you that idea was shit and to stay out of their love lives! Y'know, let them naturally fall for each other?"

"I know, I know, but it was so painful to watch! They were flirting all yesterday at lunch, Max got all defensive about it, and Nikki's just oblivious! I just wanted to help them out." Neil admitted in a quieter tone. In hindsight, he was a kind of a dumbass for essentially poisoning his friends, but he had his reasons for doing so!...So why did he feel guilty about it now?

"We need to go find them," Harrison grabbed the keys to their shared car and began walking towards the front door. "How long did you say the effects would last?"

"Anywhere between three and ten hours, I gave it to them at nine thirty…," he paused, quickly doing the math. "So it's been roughly four hours, give or take." He looked down, ashamed, and heard Harrison sigh, frustrated.

"Okay, we just need to track them down and bring them home," he locked the door behind them and climbed into their black Subaru. "Any idea on where we should start looking?"

Neil shrugged. "I have no idea, the last thing I heard them say was they wanted to go out to eat. But that was over three hours ago, who knows where they are now!"

"Well if the serum worked as well as you said it did, then they're still probably at that same restaurant making goo-goo eyes and kissy faces at each other," Harrison pointed out. They drove for a few minutes before coming up on a bar and pub. "Guess we should start here?" Neil nodded in agreement and the two began their search for their love struck best friends.

Meanwhile, Max and Nikki had already left the McDonalds after getting kicked out for being "too affectionate" in public, whatever the fuck that meant. Far from done with their date, the duo headed over to the gardens they'd visited a couple of days before with Neil and Harrison. There, they found an empty bench underneath a willow tree and, surprise surprise, cuddled once again. There weren't nearly as many people at the gardens to patronize them for their public affection, and this place was much more romantic than a fast food restaurant.

Max sighed contently and took both of Nikki's hands into his own. "This has been by far the best day of my life," he nuzzled her cheek sweetly. "We should do this more often."

"Yeah," Nikki agreed in a light, airy tone. "We should." She drew him in for a kiss on the lips, which Max happily returned. This time he felt different...tingly almost. A weird mix between nervous, giddy, and guilty...Bam, suddenly he was snapped right back into reality. Max opened his eyes wide to see Nikki was still kissing him, but a strained look appeared on her face. Mortified, he quickly pulled away and jumped up from his spot on the bench. Nikki's spell must have worn off as well, because she jerked back in surprise too.

"W-what the fuck was that?!" Max yelled, his face bright red and his heart racing.

"I don't know, I swear!" Nikki was just as puzzled. The two fell silent after that, both too stunned to say anything. Nikki swore that she was not the kind of girl to act on impulse like that, nor was she one to fall for one of her best friends. Right?..._right?!_ She suddenly began to feel sick, almost as if she were going to throw up. "Let's just go home." Nikki got up and walked swiftly towards the car, Max following wordlessly in suit.

The ride home was awkward and neither of them made an attempt to make conversation. Nikki was sick to her stomach, praying silently that her friendship with Max wasn't destroyed. That would make for one tense ride home. Max on the other hand, was more angry than sickened. He wasn't mad at Nikki perse, he knew she would never do that to him, but rather, angry at himself for letting it happen. How could he have been so stupid to let something like that happen? He pulled into Neil's driveway, noticing that his and Harrison's car was gone. Not caring to ask where they were, Max dug out the spare key from underneath the mat and unlocked the door. He headed straight for the guest room, carefully closing the door behind him. Nikki on the other hand, opened the back door and slipped out, sitting under a lone tree in the backyard. They both had a lot of thinking to do.

"We've looked _everywhere!_" Neil groaned as Harrison backed out of a McDonald's. "That was the last restaurant in town, where else could they have gone?"

"Let's just head home, I'm sure they'll do the same once that spell wears off," Harrison sighed. Truthfully he was still pretty pissed that Neil would do something this stupid, and knew that he'd get his karma once Max and Nikki returned to normal…if they returned to normal. Harrison shuddered at the thought of having his guests drooling over each other for the rest of their stay, possibly more. "If it doesn't wear off soon, we've gotta brainstorm and figure out how to break it."

"Wha- why?" Neil asked.

"Because, it's unnatural! You're forcing two people to be together instead of letting it happen on its own! What if Max and Nikki aren't meant for each other? A _crush_ is called a _crush_ for a reason, Neil! Nine times out of ten, it doesn't work out and people's romantic hopes are fucked!"

"But it was _different_ than a schoolgirl crush Harrison, I know it is! The way they looked at each other was way more than admiration or just checking each other out! I've never seen either of my best friends act like that before, let alone around each other, and it's gotta mean something!" Neil cried, flailing his arms wildly. "I just want them to be happy. There's always that one small chance that they're meant for each other, and damn it all, I won't stand aside and let my dumbass friends pass up a chance like that! What kind of friend would I be if I did that?" He panted quietly, out of breath from his little rant. Harrison looked at his boyfriend in surprise, a hint of pity gleaming in his eye as he finally began to understand. Pulling up to their house and parking the car, the illusionist brought Neil into a tight hug.

"You mean well Neil, now I see where you're coming from," he paused, glancing off to the side. "But good luck explaining that to Max and Nikki." Harrison gestured towards Max's car which was now back in the driveway. "Either the spell wore off, or they're doing some dirty shit...I'm counting on the first one."

Neil shook his head as he tried to mentally prepare himself for the long talk he was about to have with his friends. Nikki would be much easier to get through to, but Max...he might not get out of this one alive. "Alright, here goes nothing." Giving Harrison one last kiss, he slowly made his way to the guest room, quickly realizing that the door was locked. He took a deep breath and knocked three times sharply.

"M-max?" He called, his mouth beginning to feel dry.

No response came. He knocked again, this time louder.

"Max? You in there?"

Again, nothing.

"MAX-"

The door suddenly swung open to reveal a disheveled, grim-looking Max, his eyes red and puffy underneath. Had he been crying…?

"What do you want Neil." He asked in a hard tone.

"I-I just wanna talk for a second," he said, the guilt starting to make its presence known.

"I'm not in the mood," He tried to slam the door shut, but Neil shoved his foot in the way at the last second. The taller male yelped loudly, immediately jumping back. "Why the fuck would you do that, dumbass?!" Max yelled, not in a particularly caring mood.

"Because," Neil rubbed his sore foot gingerly. "I need to talk to you, it's important that I do." A beat of silence passed between them before Max sighed.

"Make it quick." He stepped aside to let Neil in, locking them door behind them. "What is "so important" that you need to talk to me about?"

Exhaling shakily, Neil leaned his back up against the dresser, picking up a nearby hairbrush to fiddle with it nervously. "It's a-about what happened between you and Nikki before."

Max's features seemed to darken, his green eyes sharp like daggers. "How do you know about that?" He growled.

_Just be honest with him, you had this coming._ Neil thought to himself.

"You guys drank a love serum…" he looked down, gripping the hairbrush with such a form grasp that it threatened to snap in two. Max continued to stare at his friend, not quite putting two and two together yet. "...I gave it to you this morning."

The shorter boy stayed silent, thinking. Suddenly it all made sense; the mysterious drink wasn't a smoothie, it was a poison! Neil had tricked him and Nikki into drinking a poison! Max visibly tensed up, clenching his fists as he walked towards who he thought was his best friend…

Now actually scared for his life, Neil threw up his hands and subconsciously started backing up. Now might've been a good time to start bargaining with Max. "I was trying to h-help you guys realize your feelings for each other! It's so painfully o-o-obvious!" Max paused, but only for a moment.

"What?"

"You guys act so different around each other, always flirting and blushing! I mean, c'mon, talk about having the answers right in front of you!"

"Do you really think I'm that much of a fucking idiot, Neil?" Max hissed, taking another step towards him. Neil scooted back instantly, all words dying on his tongue at that moment. "You seriously think that I didn't realize that I was falling for my best friend? Maybe I kept it a secret because I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship. Or maybe, I didn't say anything because I didn't think she'd feel the same way. Or even better yet, maybe I didn't say anything because I'm a miserable person and didn't want to make her miserable too!" He yelled loudly, getting in Neil's face just for good measure. "I don't want to bring her misery, Neil. I'd rather put my own feelings aside to save our friendship and make her happy instead of pursuing a relationship that doesn't have any guarantees of working out! So next time, why don't you do us all a favor and _MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS._" he forcefully shoved Neil into a corner, towering over him intimidatingly. "Get the fuck out of my room, and don't talk to me again."

Max slammed the door shut so hard it threatened to unhinge itself. Hearing all of the commotion, Harrison rushed to Neil's side. "What happened in there? Are you guys okay?"

"I fucked up. Big time." Neil simply walked away to their bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him. Figuring that it was best to leave him be, Harrison made his way to the kitchen to eat.

It had been nearly an hour since Max and Neil's big fight and the house had been eerily silent. Neil had no idea where Nikki was and he still needed to apologize to her, but he didn't know if he was ready for another screaming match with his other best friend. He sighed, finally finding the courage to get up from his spot on the bed. The longer he waited, the more anxious he'd get and the longer this awkward tension between the trio would last. After all, it was Nikki's birthday tomorrow, and he planned to have this all squared away within less than twenty four hours. He already knew Nikki wasn't in the house; after all, it was only one story and had two bedrooms, one of which was currently occupied by a hellish Max. Knowing his friend all too well, he slid open the door to the backyard to find her leaned up against the trunk of a tree, a sad look on her face.

"Hey Nikki," Neil began softly, kneeling next to her. "How're you feeling?"

"Awful, completely awful!" She said in a watery voice. "You'll never believe it, but Max and I accidentally kissed and now he hates me and is angry because of me!"

Neil bit his lip. "Actually Nik, I have to talk to you about that." Puzzled, Nikki looked up at her friend, eyebrows knit.

"What about it?"

"This morning at breakfast, I made you and Max drink a love serum instead of a normal smoothie. I was the reason you guys were acting all crazy about each other, and for that, I'm sorry. I really am."

Nikki fell silent, her magenta eyes filled with hurt and betrayal. "Y-you...huh?"

"I tampered with your feelings just so you could see that you were in love with Max. I want you guys to be happy and not pass this chance up! I know it was wrong, but I had to give you guys a leg up." He looked down, distractedly playing with his sleeve. He heard Nikki take a deep, shaky breath as if she were trying to refrain from crying. At this, his eyes found hers, his heart breaking at the sight. "Nikki…" he reached out comfortingly towards her-

"Y'know something Neil?" Nikki batted his hand away none too gently. "I'm really disappointed in you. I thought you were my friend, someone I could trust!" Tears started forming in her eyes.

"We are friends, Nikki, best friends!"

"Friends don't poison each other, Neil!" Nikki snapped, suddenly sitting up straighter. "Why, Neil? Why would you get all into other people's business like that? Because of your little stunt, Max most definitely hates me and our friendship is ruined! Yes, I like like him, but I wasn't gonna say anything to him! I don't get it," Her voice broke. Nikki was full-on crying now, hot tears streaming down her face one after the other. "I'm beyond hurt because of what you did, Neil. I think it's best if you go someplace else."

He flinched, hurt. "W-wait Nikki, I just want to help you!"

"You've done that enough Neil, and have fucked it up royally. Now just please, go away."

Neil hung his head in shame. Disowned by his two best friends because his attempt to help them was misinterpreted. Feels great.

Nighttime was beginning to settle in and Nikki was still outside sulking. She had ample time to process the situation, but was nowhere ready to face Neil yet, let alone Max. Figuring that it was time to head inside, Nikki stood up and headed for the door, secretly praying that Neil wasn't out there waiting for her. She slid open the door, not a body in sight. Perfect.

She quickly got ready for bed and went to lay down, when her stomach growled loudly. Not hesitating another second, she got up to search the pantry for any sort of snack to eat. As soon as she set foot in the kitchen, she froze: there stood Max, staring back at her like a deer in headlights, a bag of Cheetos in his hand. The two stood staring at each other for a good minute or so before Nikki spoke up first.

"Sooo...how's your day going?" She tried awkwardly.

"Well, my best friend and I drank some shitty smoothie that made us all crazy for each other, we made kissy-faces at each other, and only after did I find out that some guy who I thought was my best friend poisoned us. So in short, my day was complete shit. How was yours?" He took a handful of Cheetos and shoved them into his mouth.

Nikki giggled. "Eerily similar to yours, dare I even say, the exact same," she dug out a box of crackers from the pantry and began to eat them. "How are you feeling? Y'know, about this whole situation?"

Max shrugged, sighing. "In regards to Neil, he's currently dead to me. He could've ruined our friendship for what, some stupid relationship?" He saw Nikki wince, guilt instantly washing over him. "He should've just kept his nose out of our business. It's not up to him what we are or whether we're attracted to each other or not. What does he care anyways?"

"Are you attracted to me?" She blurted out. Max looked at her with wide eyes, momentarily unsure of how to answer her question.

"Uhh- I-" he grunted, breaking the eye contact between them. "What does it matter? It'll only break our friendship in the end anyways! I actually kind of enjoy our friendship, and I'd rather stuff everything down than run the risk of splitting us up for good," Max placed his snack down, suddenly feeling nauseous as he prepared to start talking again. "But to answer your question, I do have some kind of attraction to you or whatever. It's kinda why I was acting so weird around you after the whole incident at McDonalds." He revealed in a quiet tone. Nikki slowly began to process this information, now beginning to feel bad for screaming at Neil. Who would've known he'd been right the whole time?

"Oh...wow." Was all she could say in response. Max tipped his head slightly as if he was silently urging her to answer her own question as well. "Guess we're both in the same boat then, huh?"

Max visibly lightened up for a mere moment, but tried to cover it up. "Yeah, something like that."

Silence once again fell between the duo, the atmosphere significantly less awkward than before. But even if they'd gotten the answers to their burning questions, there was still one- no wait, two- more that needed to be answered.

"Still friends?" Nikki held up her arms as she offered a hug to her friend. Max stared at her for a short second, then gladly embraced her.

"Always friends." Both were incredibly relieved, Nikki now smiling for the first time in hours. Max gave a short-lived, genuine smile of his own. One more thing to ask…

"What do we do now?" Nikki asked innocently. "I mean, we both like each other, we're on good terms. Do we date now?"

Max looked a little shocked, his cheeks flushing a little. "Listen Nik, I'll be honest with you. It's cool that we both like each other, but I'm not ready to date yet. I think I need a little more time to let this all sink in, maybe let the holidays pass and then I might consider it." He smirked, winking.

Nikki smiled sweetly. "Okay, Max."

Giving each other one last hug, they parted ways to their respective beds for the night. They were glad that they'd cleared everything up between each other, and hearing Max basically agree to dating her after the holidays made Nikki even more excited to get home!

Now all she and Max had to do was apologize and make up with poor Neil. First thing tomorrow, she would pull him aside and make things right between them. Friends first, partying second.


	8. Old Friends, New Beginnings

Morning came fast for Neil and goddamn, was he anxious. Harrison was already awake bright and early, for he'd gotten out of bed nearly half an hour ago to give Nikki her birthday present which happened to be a magic show right in town, leaving Neil alone with Max. Yay.

He slowly reached for his phone to check the time; 11:25. Max was most definitely awake by now, Neil had determined, judging by the bumping and rustling sounds coming from the kitchen area. Truthfully, Neil didn't want to bump into his ticking time bomb of a friend, but at the same time, he was hungry. Just for good measure, his stomach growled obnoxiously loud.

Groaning, Neil got up and threw a shirt on as he slowly opened his bedroom door, carefully looking around hesitantly, then taking a deep breath and heading towards the kitchen. There sitting at the kitchen table was Max, sipping a piping-hot cup of coffee as he chewed mindlessly on a bagel. The boy looked up, acknowledging Neil's presence. He nodded awkwardly before quickly averting his eyes and looking back down at his phone. Neil sighed, helping himself to the remaining half pot of coffee that still remained under the coffee maker. Max noticed this, his brow raised.

"I was gonna drink that y'know," He saw how Neil began to move quicker, grabbing a handful of brown sugar packets and splashing in some milk messily as he tried to get passed Max. So it turns out Neil really wasn't ready for the whole "confronting Max after the serum" situation, guess he should give it some more time-

"Wait," Max quickly stood up, grabbing Neil by the collar of his shirt. "We need to talk."

Fear jolted through poor Neil's veins as the eerie thought of Max killing him right then and there flashed through his mind. "I-I...uhh...A-a-about?" He sputtered, feeling as if he was one second away from having a stroke.

Max opened his mouth to respond when suddenly, the front door swung open, a very bouncy and chipper Nikki came rushing in, followed by Harrison, who droned on about how he could have done way better at all of the tricks the magician had performed. Upon noticing Max and Neil clearly in the middle of working something out, Harrison instantly understood, pushing Nikki over towards them. He briefly made eye contact with Neil, giving him a soft, proud smile, before walking away to give the trio their space. Now all alone, Max looked back at Neil to continue what he was going to say.

"Both Nikki and I want to apologize for yelling at you before," he toyed around with the cuffs of his signature blue sweatshirt.

"Yeah, you were right all along, and we were just too stupid to see it," Nikki shook her head tragically, failing to notice Max's sharp glare. "Not that we're saying that poisoning us was the way to go about it, but you definitely opened my eyes!" She linked arms with Max, who failed to hide his growing smile. Neil looked at his best friends, wide-eyed.

"S-so you guys aren't mad at me anymore? Do you forgive me?" He suddenly looked small, like a child being scolded by his parents.

Comically, Max and Nikki looked at each other and smirked, then back at Neil. "We'll completely forgive you Neil, on one condition," Max crossed his arms over his chest, trying to appear tough.  
Neil cautiously raised an eyebrow, scared to know exactly what his friends would say. "And that is…?"

"You take us out to the best bar in town and buy all the rounds! It's Nikki's birthday-"

"And Mama's gonna get wasted!" She finished ecstatically. Neil simply chuckled, shaking his head as he brought his two favorite people in for a hug.

"Deal. Now do you guys forgive me?" A trace of a smirk played at his face.

"Yes, you're forgiven," Nikki giggled as Max gave Neil a particularly rough noogie, all three of their laughs ringing all throughout the house. Harrison, figuring that they'd made up and were now on good terms, walked into the kitchen and smiled.

"I see you all are back to talking again," he turned to Nikki, who currently had Neil in a headlock as Max cheered her on. "What did you decide on for tonight?"

Releasing Neil, Nikki faced Harrison with a smirk on her face. "Neil and I made a deal that he'd take us to the best bar you've got here and buy all the rounds!"

Judging by the look on his boyfriend's face, Harrison could tell that this was no joke. "Not a bad deal," he nodded. "But I suggest that you all get ready now, that way we have more time to party! After all, you guys are only here for a few more days."

"Thanks for the reminder." Nikki groaned, now disheartened at the thought of leaving Neil behind once again. Even Max felt a little sad, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly.

"B-but let's not dwell on the sad things! Go get ready, let's party the night away!" Neil spoke up quickly, shooting a glare towards Harrison. The four split up to find their best outfits and to wash up a bit, especially Nikki. This was her night, and she planned on going all out!

***  
Nearly an hour later, the three boys were all ready to go and sat impatiently in the living room waiting for Nikki. Max drummed his fingers noisily on the armrest of the couch. What was she doing? Nikki never took this long to get ready for anything ever!

"Ugh, I'm gonna go check on her, she's taking forever!" Max huffed, getting up and walking towards the occupied bathroom. He could hear his friend humming an unfamiliar tune on the other side of the door, along with multiple, fast footsteps. "Nikki, hurry up! We don't have all night!" He banged on the door three times. Max heard some more strange noises, then the sound of the door being unlocked. It opened slowly to reveal a rather pretty- dare he even say it- beautiful Nikki. Instead of her usual college attire and frizzy, unkempt hair, she now wore her hair down, showing off her natural curls, a bright red leather jacket with a dark green shirt underneath, a pair of ripped skinny jeans, and some jet black sneakers to bring it all together. Max didn't realize he'd been staring until he was playfully poked on the tip of his nose.

"You like it, Max?" she spun around a couple of times for him. "I got the jacket from Neil as a present, the rest of the stuff I just had! Pretty badass, huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah, badass," Max snaked an arm around her waist. "But just between you and me, you look pretty nice." He quickly looked away, blushing.

"Thank you, Max," she gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Although I think we have to work on your compliments."

"Hey, what's wrong with my compliments? You look pretty, there I said it." He awkwardly tried to avoid eye contact.

"Sure, Max." She said with a giggle, grabbing onto his arm as they walked into the living room. "All ready to go! By the way, thanks for the jacket Neil!"

"Glad you like it! Now let's go party!" Neil hopped up from his place on the couch and headed outside to the car, each of them piling in accordingly. "To the bar!"

***  
They'd reached the bar in no time flat and instantly started drinking and partying. Nikki once again challenged her friends to see if she could out-drink the guys for a grand prize of twenty bucks and a free breakfast. Harrison was the only one who didn't participate, as he was playing the role of designated driver, but the other two boys took the challenge. Neil only made it passed two before tapping out, Max barely managed to finish five, which made Nikki the winner.

"Hell yeah, I win!" She fist-pumped into the air, nearly falling out of her seat in the process. "Let's go dance!" Nikki grabbed Max by the hand and dragged the tipsy boy out of his seat, both stumbling onto the floor. Neil tugged on Harrison's arm and gestured towards his friends.

"C'mon, we might as well join them," he said as they joined Max and Nikki who were dancing drunkenly with one another. The four friends danced the rest of the night away until nearly one o'clock in the morning, when one of the bartenders chased them out for "having one too many". On the car ride home, Nikki passed out in the backseat, snoring loudly, Max was going on about how much he used to hate camp as a kid, and Neil was laughing at his friend uncontrollably. This was by far the most…interesting thing Harrison had witnessed up to date, and it would be one hell of a story to tell later on.

***  
Morning came and everyone, besides Harrison of course, was feeling miserable, or in Nikki's case, hungover. She groaned loudly into her pillow as her stomach tied itself up in knots, waves of nausea making her want to puke. Neil wandered over to his melancholy friend, patting her on the back as he feigned sympathy.

"I told you not to drink too much," he handed her a heating pad to put on her belly. "Yet here you are, on the couch probably wanting to die."

Nikki looked up at Neil with resentment, barely having the strength to slap him. "Screw you, it was worth it. You guys owe me twenty bucks and breakfast," her stomach churned at the thought of food. "B-but not now. I don't even wanna think about food right now."

Neil chuckled. "I know, I know. Just relax a bit, we can take it easy today so you're all rested up for tomorrow."

Oh, that's right, they were leaving tomorrow morning. Nikki pouted as she let out a sad sigh. "I don't wanna leave you guys. Who knows when I'll see you again, for all we know we could be like, a hundred by then!" She weakly sat up and pulled Neil into a clumsy hug.

"It's okay, Nikki! I was gonna wait off on telling you this, but since we're on the topic…," Neil took out his phone and scrolled through until he found what he'd been looking for. "Because Harrison and I will have our Master's by the end of this year, we decided to start looking for a more permanent home. Luckily, we found this one which is only forty-five minutes away from Max's condo, so we'll be super close to you, assuming that you guys are moving in together within the next few months!" He said with a wink. Nikki's features immediately lit up; it was a dream come true!

"Neil, this is awesome! Now we won't have to wait another four years to see each other again!" The friends embraced once again, until their attention was torn away by the sound of someone clearing his throat.

"What'd I miss?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow. Neil and Nikki exchanged a glance, then faced their friend once again.

"Harrison and I are moving to Florida next year so we can be closer by." He showed Max a picture of the home.

"So you mean I'm gonna have to deal with you almost every day?" Max asked, pretending to be disappointed by the news.

"Oh ha ha, very funny." Neil rolled his eyes, tossing a pillow at Max's face. He caught it with ease.

"Why don't we watch a cheesy Christmas movie or something? Ooo, maybe one of those Hallmark movies with the forced love stories and predictable endings!" Nikki suggested, flipping on the TV to scroll through the hundreds of Hallmark movies. Neil and Harrison both nodded in agreement, while Max grimaced.

"Ugh, those movies are so gay. They give me migraines." He rubbed his temples for dramatic effect as he stood to walk out of the room.

"Ah come on Max, you'll love it!" Nikki yanked the poor boy back down on the couch next to her, wrapping a strong arm around Max's to keep him from getting up again. He sighed, giving in against his will as the opening credits to the dreaded Hallmark movie began. All eyes were fixated on the television for the next few hours as movie after movie played, until three of the four watchers fell asleep. Harrison and Neil had fallen asleep in each other's arms, while Nikki had passed out with her face buried in Max's neck. Max on the other hand, was wide awake still...he was tired, but he wanted to see how this poor excuse of a movie ended. Twenty more minutes wouldn't kill he supposed…

***  
The remainder of the night came and went and before they knew it, the morning had arrived. This morning in particular was far less enjoyable than the rest had been, because of the fact that it was time for Max and Nikki to start heading home, unfortunately. They got breakfast at the best place in town, as the guys had promised, and from there, it was time to say their goodbyes. Nikki looked at Neil and Harrison, her bottom lip quivering as she stood up to hug them.

"I'll miss you both," she said in a quiet tone as the couple hugged her back tightly. "Thank you for the awesome birthday presents, this was definitely the bestest birthday ever!"

"It's best, and you're welcome," Neil laughed as he turned to face Max. "I'll miss you too, you pain in the ass." He held up his arms invitingly as he waited for his friend to get the gist. Max hesitated at first, but leaned forward and hugged Neil wordlessly. Neil knew Max would miss him, whether he admitted it or not, and the scientist would truly miss his friends as well. It was a great surprise being able to see them again after nearly four years, and looked forward to moving closer to them. "Safe travels, you two. And happy holidays!"

Both Max and Nikki thanked Neil simultaneously as they began to walk towards the car. Nikki climbed into the passenger's seat, waiting patiently for Max to start the engine. But before he did so, he ran up to Neil. "Uh, Neil," he began awkwardly. The boy in question turned around at the sound of his name.

"Yeah?"

Max scratched the back of his neck, biting his lip. "Thanks."

"For what?" Neil raised an eyebrow cluelessly.

"For giving me a chance at happiness." He gestured back towards Nikki, who still sat in the car. A small, barely-noticeable smile crept onto his face, which the ever-observant Neil caught onto.

"Of course, Max." With that, the guys shared one more single-armed hug and parted ways, for now, at least. In one year's time, the trio would reunite, they were certain of that. "Keep in touch over the break, let me know what happens between you two. Also, you wouldn't happen to know of any possible wedding venues down by you guys, would you?"

"Oh," he almost immediately understood what Neil was getting at. "Yeah, there's a few near Orlando. I'll have Nikki send them to you, just give us the dates." Max winked.

"Perfect."

The two finally went their separate ways, Neil climbing into his and Harrison's car as they took off back to their home, and Max sliding into the driver's seat of his own car. He took a deep breath, looking at Nikki with a new emotion in his eyes- genuine endearment. "You ready to get this long ass car ride over with?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" She answered enthusiastically. Max put the car into "drive", but didn't go anywhere quite yet. Much to Nikki's shock and surprise, Max leaned over and gave her a lightning-fast kiss on the cheek.

"That never happened." He said in a serious tone as his cheeks flushed. Nikki only giggled, placing her hand on top of Max's.

"Whatever you say, Max."

"I-I'm serious! You better not go telling everyone about this yet!"

"Yet?" She raised a brow teasingly.

"Yet." He responded, finally pulling out of his place in the parking lot to begin the long journey back home. Yes, he was deeply dreading the ride itself, but at least he had someone with him whom he genuinely care about and dare even say it- love. Yup, Max had indeed fallen in love with one of his best friends, but honestly, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way; they would be lifelong partner's-in-crime. It was funny though, the concept of searching for most of your life for someone to bring out the best in you, only for said person to have been right beside you the whole time.

Who would've thought.


	9. Epilogue

"Ten more minutes, ten more minutes, TEN MORE MINUTES!"

It was New Year's Eve, and Nikki was practically bouncing off the walls in excitement; she loved this holiday! All of the anticipation, partying, and energy got her so frickin' pumped!

Alongside the energetic Nikki, Max sat on the floor with his adoptive baby brother, Cameron, snug in his lap. "I know, Nik. You've been counting down for the past three hours," he playfully rolled his eyes. Cameron looked up at Nikki, smiling widely and reaching up towards her. At this, Max frowned. "You don't wanna go to her. Your brother is way cooler than-"

Before he got to finish, Nikki swiped the baby up into her arms, planting a kiss on his soft cheek. She looked down at Max, raising an eyebrow cockily. "You were saying, Max?" Cameron squealed as Nikki blew a raspberry on the baby's belly.

"Whatever. He probably only likes you because you've got food in your hand," Max scoffed, referring to the half-empty bowl of chips that Nikki was currently munching on. However, the girl only let out a cackle, further irking Max.

"You're just jealous, that's all," she stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. "Cam like me better, poor Maxi-Pad can't handle the truth." She cooed mockingly.

"Keep talking." Max muttered under his breath, crossing his arms like a stubborn child. Nikki laughed softly and bent down to give her dear Max a kiss on the cheek.

"You're fun to mess with, y'know that?"

"And you're inexplicably annoying, you know that?" Max retaliated, smirking gently.

They stared at each other for a few moments until Cameron gave Nikki a sharp tug on her hair. "Ouch!" she turned her attention immediately back to the giggling baby. "Alright you little squirt, you asked for it!" She started tickling Cameron under his arms, and he laughed uncontrollably. Max soon joined in, and the three of them were all laughing (or chuckling, in Max's case) loudly.

"Great job, you two. Now he's gonna be up all night," Gwen entered the living room, barely managing to stave off a yawn. "C'mere, Cam."

Max and Nikki stopped tickling Cameron and handed him to Gwen.

"It's your fault for not putting him to sleep hours ago." Max shrugged, pouring himself and Nikki a glass of champagne.

Gwen only sighed in frustration as Cameron took a fistful of his mother's hair and shoved it into his mouth, giggling. "Where's David when you need him?" she muttered as she plopped down on the couch. As if on cue, David came rushing through the door with arms full of plastic bags, various bead necklaces, cardboard hats, and party blowers falling out of them. Gwen, Max, and Nikki stared at David in utter confusion.

"The fuck's all this about?" Max questioned, gesturing towards the mess.

"Language, Max," David scolded, covering his son's ears. "And this is for us to celebrate with! The ball drops in two minutes and we need to be ready to ring in the new year the right way!"

Max walked over to one of the fallen hats, picking it up in extreme disinterest. "I'm not wearing any of this cheap crap."

"Oh come on, Max!" Nikki hopped over to him, snatching the hat out of his hand and placing it on her own head. "Lighten up a bit, have a little fun!" She slipped a green bead necklace around his neck and wrapped an arm around him. Max only rolled his eyes, eventually placing his arm around her waist subtly.

"Fine, whatever-"

"Guys, come over here! The countdown is starting!" David called, waving the two young adults over to the couch. He handed them re-filled champagne glasses as Gwen turned up the volume on the television. Both took their respective glasses and turned their attention to the image of the ball that appeared on the screen.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…"

"Happy New Year!" Everyone yelled simultaneously. The adults took a celebratory drink of champagne, before Nikki turned to Max, planting a kiss on his lips.

"There. It's about time we finally did that!"

Max only stared at her, many emotions swimming through him at once. A sudden, high-pitched, honest-to-god squeal came from David.

"Oh my gosh! You guys are together?"

Gwen shot him a look from beside him. "David, they've literally been pining over each other for the past three weeks. Where the hell have you been?"

Nikki laughed as Max shook his head. He opened his mouth to make a snide remark when David brought him and Nikki into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you guys!" He wailed, proud tears slipping down his face.

"Ugh, David!" Max tried to wiggle out of his adoptive father's grasp, but to no avail. Seeing how much Max wasn't particularly enjoying the embrace, Gwen came over to the hugging group and joined in. Noticing Gwen's unmistakeable smirk, Max groaned. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" He deadpanned.

"You know it."

The little family stood there hugging, enjoying each other's company; even Max began to loosen up. Deep down, he enjoyed the togetherness of his new family, and loved how David and Gwen supported him in most everything he did, and not to mention, gave him a baby brother. Nikki on the other hand, had turned out to be his better half, and he truly loved her for that. Now that the new year was here, he finally felt ready to begin a romantic relationship with Nikki. He finally felt that his life was beginning to come together, and Max was glad he took that road trip.


End file.
